Disc holding apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus used for holding a disc ( 12 ) including a lower surface and an upper surface with an opening extending between the surfaces, comprises a base ( 1 ) and a hub ( 2 ) extending upwards from the base. The hub includes a center portion ( 6 ) adapted to pass through the opening of the disc and engage the upper surface of the disc ( 12 ) to hold the disc on the hub. The hub ( 2 ) includes outer pieces ( 4 ), non-movable with respect to the base ( 1 ), for arresting downward movement of the disc ( 12 ) during its removal.

This application is a national phase of International Application No.PCT/GB01/04406 filed Oct. 3, 2001 and published in English on Apr. 11,2002 under International Publication No. WO 02/29816.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a disc holding apparatus used for retaining adisc, in particular a disc on which information is recorded such as anaudio compact disc (CD) or CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) orcomputer game disc, in a storage case or the like.

Known disc storage cases have a central hub which extends through andengages the hole in the centre of the disc and which is depressed toremove the disc. One disadvantage of conventional hubs is that theygenerate an unpleasant cracking sound on removing or replacing the disc.A further disadvantage is that repeated usage of the hub can causevisible cracks and scratches on the centre of the disc, affecting thedisc's quality and/or performance.

It is known to provide means for causing the disc to be ejected from thehub when the latter is depressed. For example, EP-A-356539 and U.S. Pat.No. 5,251,750 describe outwardly extending cranked ejection arms and WO96/14636 describes a plurality of inwardly extending resilientcantilevered arms in the base. All of these ejection means areinconvenient to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a disc holding apparatus in whichboth noise and cracking/scratching of the disc during removal orreplacement of the disc are minimised.

It is also an aim of the invention to provide a disc holding apparatusthat is easier to use for consumers, particularly those withco-ordination disabilities.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for holding adisc including a lower surface and an upper surface with an openingextending between the surfaces, the apparatus comprising a base and ahub extending upwards from the base, the hub including a central portionadapted to pass through the opening of the disc and engage the uppersurface of the disc to hold the disc on the hub, characterized in thatthe hub includes outer pieces, non-movable with respect to the base, forarresting downward movement of the disc during its removal.

Preferably, there are two outer pieces, and these may have substantiallyparallel inner edges.

The central portion of the hub may comprise a first wall portionextending upwards from the base and a second wall portion extendinginwardly from the first wall portion above the base. A pair ofdisc-engaging arms, preferably spaced from one another and preferablysubstantially perpendicular to the second wall portion, may extendupwards from the second wall portion. Preferably, the central portion isarranged to be pushed down from a resting position to a depressedposition to release the disc from the hub, and each arm has a portionwhich engages the upper surface of the disc when the central portion isin the resting position and disengages from the upper surface of thedisc when the central portion is moved to the depressed position. Thecentral portion preferably functions as a spring to return it from thedepressed position to the resting position.

In a preferred embodiment, the arms include upper walls, which cooperateto form a central push button for the hub.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, referencewill now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings,in which;

FIG. 1 is a plan of apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2A is a section along the line II—II of FIG. 1, also showing adisc, with the central portion in the resting position;

FIG. 2B is a fragmentary section, similar to FIG. 2 but with the centralportion in the depressed position;

FIG. 3A is a section along the line III—III of FIG. 1, also showing adisc, with the central portion in the resting position; and

FIG. 3B is a section similar to FIG. 3 but with the central portion inthe depressed position.

The drawings show the portion of a video-style library case for acompact disc or the like adapted to hold the disc. However, it should beunderstood that the invention also extends to trays provided as insertsin jewel cases, that is clear hinged cases for discs. The case (oralternatively the tray) is preferably injection moulded in one piecefrom polypropylene or a material with similar characteristics.

The case has a flat base 1, with an upwardly extending substantiallycircular central hub 2. The hub is divided by two parallel slots 3 intotwo outer pieces 4 and a central portion 5. The outer pieces 4, formedfrom segments of the circular hub 2, each have an upwardly sloping outerwall and an abutment surface 6.

The central portion 5 of the hub comprises an upwardly sloping firstwall portion 7, and a second wall portion 8 parallel to the base. Thewall portions are such that in the absence of the slots 3, in theresting position the upwardly sloping walls of the outer portion wouldform a continuous frustoconical surface with the first wall portion 7,and the abutment surfaces 6 would form a continuous annular surface withthe second wall portion 8.

A pair of substantially semicircular disc-engaging arms 9 extendsupwardly from the centre of the second wall portion 8. The arms eachhave an upper wall 10, parallel to the base, and the upper wallstogether form a central push button for the hub. The outer edge portions11 of the upper walls 10 extend outwardly from the arms 9 and areradiused in cross-section.

FIGS. 2A and 3A show the central portion of the hub in its restingposition with a disc 12 held on the central portion, its central openingbeing placed over the push button. The outer upper edge portions 11engage the upper surface of the disc at the opening therein and retainthe disc 12 in place.

By depressing the push button in the direction of the arrow, the entirecentral portion 5 between the slots 3 is depressed. The outer upper edgeportions 11 move the disc downwardly until its motion is arrested by theabutment surfaces 6 of the outer hub pieces 4. The disc engaging arms 9then move together as the radiused upper edge portions 11 move throughthe opening in the disc, releasing it from engagement as shown in FIG.3A. This may be achieved either with the case on a flat surface or withit held in one hand.

To replace the disc, the user simply places the disc with the openingover the push button and presses the disc down.

1. An apparatus for holding a disc that includes a lower surface and anupper surface with a central opening extending between the upper andlower surfaces; the apparatus comprising: a base; and a hub connected tothe base and extending upwardly from the base; the hub including acentral portion and outer portions that are diametrically opposed inrelation to a center of the hub and separated from the central portionby respective slots; the central portion being connected atdiametrically opposed ends to the base and having resilient portionsallowing the central portion to be pushed from a resting position to adepressed position; the central portion including a pair ofdisc-engaging members for retaining a disc on the hub when the centralportion is in its resting position and being movable towards one anotherwhen the central portion is moved from its resting position to itsdepressed position, thereby releasing the disc; and the diametricallyopposed outer portions being non-movable with respect to the base forblocking movement of the disc toward the base when the central portionis moved from its resting position to its depressed position.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein each outer portion includes an upwardlysloping outer wall and an abutment surface; the abutment surfaceupwardly offset from the base.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thecentral portion includes a pair of upwardly sloping wall portions and asubstantially horizontal second wall portion connected to each of theupwardly sloping wall portions; the substantially horizontal wallportion being disposed at the same height as the abutment surfaces ofthe outer portions.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second wallportion is substantially parallel to the base; the second wall portionhaving at least one continuous portion extending between the upward endsof the upwardly sloping first wall portions of the central portion. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central portion includes at leastone section that extends continuously from one side of the hub to theother side of the hub.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the centralportion includes a gap between the disc-engaging members.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the central portion has substantiallyparallel edges that extend across the hub in parallel relationshipequidistant from the center of the hub.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the disc-engaging members cooperate to form a central pushbutton for the hub.
 9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the upwardlysloping outer walls of the outer portions and the upwardly sloping wallportions together form, in the absence of the slots in the restingposition of the central portion, a frustoconical surface.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the disc-engaging members includeprojections for extending over the top of the disc to retain the disc onthe hub when the central portion is in its rest position.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the projections are diametrically opposedin relation to the center of the hub.
 12. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the disc-engaging members include a pair of arms extendingupwardly from the substantially horizontal wall portion.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the disc-engaging members include a pairof arms extending substantially perpendicular to the base.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the arms include projections extendingradially outwardly from the arms for extending over the top of the discto retain the disc on the hub when the central portion is in its restposition.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the arms cooperate toform a central push button for the hub.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein the arms are diametrically opposed in relation to the center ofthe hub.
 17. An apparatus for holding a disc having a lower surface andan upper surface with a central opening extending between the upper andlower surfaces; the apparatus comprising: a base defining an opening;and a hub connected to the base and covering a portion of the opening;the hub including a central portion that is connected to the base onopposite sides of the opening defined by the base and a pair of outerpieces disposed on opposites sides of the central portion; the outerpieces being adapted to support a disc and prevent the disc from movingdownwardly with respect to the hub; the central portion including a pairof upwardly extending disc-engaging arms; the disc-engaging armsextending upwardly from the central portion; the disc-engaging armsbeing spaced from one another; the disc-engaging arms being adapted tobe depressed from a resting position to a depressed position wherein theresting position holds a disc on the hub and the depressed positionallows the disc to be removed from the hub; each outer piece includingan upwardly sloping outer wall and an abutment surface; the abutmentsurface being substantially parallel to the base and disposed at thesame height as the central portion; the central portion including a pairof upwardly sloping wall portions and a substantially horizontal secondwall portion connected to each of the upwardly sloping wall portions;and the horizontal wall portion being disposed at the same height as theabutment surfaces of the outer pieces.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17,wherein the second wall portion is substantially parallel to the base;the second wall portion having at least one continuous portion extendingbetween the upward ends of the upwardly sloping first wall portions ofthe central portion.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of thearms extend substantially perpendicular to the horizontal wall portionof the central portion.